Reviews

The Family by Lor Gislason

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After not caring a lot for Tooth Worms by this author, I wanted to give them another chance, especially since I remembered having a few freebies from DarkLit Press of their stories on my kindle. Unfortunately, I enjoyed this one even less than my first experience with Lor's writing! It was another instance of too much build-up to a very rushed, abrupt ending with no payoff or explanation for what was happening. The Family kind of felt like I was reading a 12-page prequel to a longer horror story, except there's nothing to follow it up with. :(

xwritingstoriesx's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Content Warnings

a_j0n_3s's review

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

gen_wolfhailstorm's review

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Received a free digital copy from Dark Lit Press' free horror library. All opinions remain 100% genuine.

I immediately delved into another Gislason short story after really enjoying Tooth Worms and The Family did not disappoint.

Yet again, so much tension, unease and terror was packed so tightly into to such a small word count. I remain impressed.

This has the tone of a domestic thriller, but the thrill is steeped in the Eldritch 'other'. It was fantastic and for once, an open ending actually didn't grate on me. It was the perfect sort of conclusion that The Family needed.